Transnational Family and Connections

Abstract

This chapter demonstrates that while young people strive to establish an anchor in Europe as a place where they feel safe and can imagine and construct futures for themselves, they simultaneously derive a sense of subjective wellbeing from their transnational ties and personhood. Given the geopolitical framework that kept them apart from loved ones elsewhere, the transnational elements to these relationships were central to their daily lives. There has been a burgeoning interest in practices of transnationalism, and the empirical work in the study reveals the complexities and dynamics of such ties and interactions for young people transitioning to adulthood in a context of migration. At least four domains of transnationalism were revealed in the research. These include transnational family connections, transnational friendships, virtual connections, and transnational futures and aspirations.